It is finished! That’s a wrap for 2023, and for the first time ever, I’ve completed our annual reading challenge. Let the fireworks at midnight ring out in celebration!
In the month of December, I completed 6 books – although one of them had been slowly but surely inching along in progress since the first of January, it was still the highest page count of any month this year at 3,154 pages read. The stats can wait, though – if you want a look at the specific books I read this month, read on.
First up in December, I finished Ten Arrows of Iron, the second in Sam Sykes’ Grave of Empires series. Sam being an Arizona native (like his mother, Diana Gabaldon) makes this a great choice for prompt #5, Read a book that was written by an author from your home state. I read the first in this trilogy back in January, and finally got around to the second novel. This installment was hectic, full of surprises, and even quite emotional in parts. I think I liked the first book a touch better, but it was a solid, if dark, adventure. [4.25 stars]
And then I did something I don’t often get to do – I finished the trilogy in the same year I started it. Three Axes to Fall by Sam Sykes was a great ending to the series, revealing some missing pieces to the main character’s back story, and details of how her infamous weapon came to be. Sal the Cacophony was a wonderfully complex character to follow through this trilogy, and one of the reasons I chose to read it this year was to fit our challenge prompt #50, Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero. Sal is a notorious outlaw with an axe to grind and capable of leaving great destruction in her wake, but also inspires loyalty in surprising ways.
I met the author at Phoenix ComiCon years back, and he was a very entertaining human being – the sense of humor shows through in his writing, to be sure. There were passages that had me laughing out loud at the imagery, but also scenes where tears were running down my face. [4.25 stars]
I followed that by finishing another trilogy that I started this year – I started Robin Hobb’s Liveship Traders trilogy in February with prompt #16, followed with the second book in July at #24, and completed the set with Ship of Destiny to fulfill my final free space #60. This trilogy captured my imagination from the start – the concept of the liveships was so interesting, and I loved the way we learned more of the lore along the way – sea serpents, the Trader communities, pirates and lost civilizations and dragons (oh my)…
The first third or so of this installment took a bit of time to hook me, but the pace picked up considerably as the different groups we had been following came together for an exciting climax. I read the final 60% in one sitting (and stayed up until 4:30 AM to do it). [4.75 stars]
Another third installment of a trilogy followed – I read the first two books in Fonda Lee’s Green Bone Saga over the past two years, so the earlier books were a little fuzzy in my head, but Jade Legacy was a fantastic finale. As I recall the first two books, they followed the protagonist Kaul family through a relatively short period of time, and some specific major events. Jade Legacy took a longer view, setting up changes in the clan’s fortunes and leadership over the course of several years. There was family drama, and political maneuvering, serious action and emotional devastation.
I plan to re-read the series before long, and highly recommend it for fantasy lovers who want a twist on the usual medieval European inspired setting. This one was my choice for challenge prompt #42, A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture. [5 stars]
Next to last, I finished a daily devotional that I have been reading since the first of January – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are by Shauna Niequist was my choice for prompt #34, Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself. The daily readings include a verse of scripture, and then thoughts and stories by the author about mindful living, enjoying the little moments, and forming meaningful connections with family and friends. There were several selections about marriage and motherhood that weren’t too applicable to my current life, but overall many beautifully written essays (and delicious recipes) that reminded me that life is meant to be experienced, not just endured. [4 stars]
And as 2023 wound to a close, I finished the final remaining prompt from our challenge – #13, Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases). This prompt caused all manner of consternation after we discovered that basically every book by this prolific author of 904 books was out of print. I did manage to find a few titles under her pen name Mary Faulkner on Amazon Kindle, but we changed the prompt on the official challenge to include any author from the Owlcation list of the 21 most prolific authors of all time where we found her in the first place… or to include several of the specific authors we’d named on previous challenges….
However, I decided to be a stickler and instead of reading yet another new Brandon Sanderson novel that was released in November, I picked up The Involuntary Chaperon, by Margaret Cameron (aka Mary Faulkner/Kathleen Lindsay). This was a pretty light read – formatted as a series of letters from a middle-aged widow to her closest friend, telling the story of a hastily arranged excursion to South America at the insistence of another close friend to chaperon her 17-year-old daughter with her bachelor uncle in an effort to whisk the girl away from what her parents considered an unsuitable love match. The descriptions of the South American coastal towns and the scenery were enchanting, and the letters were written with a humorous conversational tone – plus there was a touch of unexpected romance. Aside from the casual racism that one would expect from a book published in 1909, I thoroughly enjoyed it. [3.5 stars]
Other things I enjoyed in December: I’ve continued my first watch of Veronica Mars with a few episodes of Season 2, and rewatched Iron Man 3 with my favorite reaction channel. I was pretty much obsessed with the new Pentatonix live recording of their cover of Seal’s Kiss From A Rose – those 5 individuals are insanely talented and just getting better all the time. Their updated recording of O Holy Night is also highly worth a listen, if you aren’t burned out on Christmas music.
And of course the weather cooperated this year so I made my annual Christmas visit to my mom’s, which was full of yummy home cooked food, lots of coffee, and cheesy Christmas movies. I got to see the Hallmark Christmas movie that was basically written in response to a particular scene in Ted Lasso where he kind of made fun of the genre, and it was actually very cute. I helped organize Mom’s paperback library (at least the part of it she’s not actively lending out to other people), and got to meet up with a close friend and his wife for lunch (Hi Pablo!). The best photos of the month, along with my 4 nail art looks, are below.
But for now, 2024 awaits – and along with it, a little surprise in the planning stages with Linzthebookworm. Stay tuned for more on that, but first, I will try a redux of the End of Year book survey post I did for 2022, because why not?
Before I close out – if you’re reading this far, please leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite prompts are from this year or previous years. Linz and I would love to know what types of reading challenge prompts are fun for you all. And by all means, tell me about what you’ve been reading, or watching, or doing. Have you heard Pentatonix? What was the best TV show you watched this year? And what are you looking forward to in the new year?
Have a happy one, my friends!
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [COMPLETED]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state – Ten Arrows of Iron – Sam Sykes
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name – Daughters of the Lake – Wendy Webb
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [COMPLETED]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases) – The Involuntary Chaperon – Margaret Cameron
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago) – Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz – Intensity – Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy – The Armored Saint – Myke Cole
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy – A Heart so Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country – Joe Abercrombie
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Mad Ship – Robin Hobb
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [COMPLETED]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live – Revenge of the Nymph: The Faeries Vol.2 – Ramon Terrell
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com – The Lion of Senet – Jennifer Fallon
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends – The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover – Exiles – Ashley and Leslie Saunders
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range) – Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s) – Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde – Jeff Guinn
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie) – The Phantom Menace: Star Wars: Episode I – Terry Brooks
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35. Read a self-published book – Duel of Fire – Jordan Rivet
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Yumi and the Nightmare Painter – Brandon Sanderson
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [COMPLETED]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages – The Stone of Farewell – Tad Williams
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
39. A book by an author named David/Dave – Pawn of Prophecy – David Eddings
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel – The Secret History – Donna Tartt
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V – Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture – Jade Legacy – Fonda Lee
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover – The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern – Lilian Jackson Braun
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore – American Gods – Neil Gaiman
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer – Someone Else’s Life – Lyn Liao Butler
46. Read a book by a new author – Dead Man’s Hand – James J. Butcher
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy – The Rescue – Steven Konkoly
48. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Sunlit Man – Brandon Sanderson
Level 5: Overachiever Club [COMPLETED]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category) – Ordinary Monsters – J.M. Miro
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero – Three Axes to Fall – Sam Sykes
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative – Murder’s No Votive Confidence – Christin Brecher
52. Read a “found family” story – The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title – The Queens of Innis Lear – Tessa Gratton
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades – The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional) – Family Money – Chad Zunker
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska – Northern Lights – Nora Roberts
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title – The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs – The Dinosaur Lords – Victor Milan
60. Free Space – Pick any book! – Ship of Destiny – Robin Hobb
The Logophile 